Youth Performing Arts School

I went to YPAS for all of my high school years. I was part of a class of 15-18 freshman students in my program, but was one of two to complete all four years there (of my original group) in 1991.

We did about six shows a year and students were required to work on all of them. You had to interview for each show, suit, tie, portfolio, resume, cover letter, the works. We were not allowed to specialize, so it gave me a broad foundation of skills to draw from. I held almost every position of technical production.I built costumes from the ground up, I did meticulous preCAD drafting, learned disassemble every light, connector, and cable completely to clean and repair them. This was a rigorous high school program that was not for everyone.

YPAS was originally to be built for the Youth Performing Arts Center (note the subtle change in name) until funding became tight and it was taken over by the public school system and made into a public school for the performing arts. It had facilities you would not believe.

Here are some thumbnails from that time: